The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1887-08-12

AN OLD INDIAN KILLER WHO WAS THU
FATHER OF THIRTY. THREE CHILDREN

| When Western Pennsylvania wa
the frontier and the Indian fighter wa
the most important and indispensable
person in the settlements, Charlie
Brandon was one of the best and mos
daring of all the active foes OF the re,
men, says the New York Sun. At tn
age of three years, in 1894, he wa
captured by che Indians, who killed hi
father at the same time. This was OF
the banks of the Ohio river. Fo
twelve years the boy was kept among
the savages, but he disliked them aut
escaped when he was fifteen years old
He found white settlement and learn
ed to talk his native language. From
that time on he gave his life to Indiar
killing.
In 1890, when the Indians were get
ting scarce, Charles Brandon married
young woman named Mary Meyers
She bore him two children and died
He then married Fannie Slusher. She
bore him eighteen children, and died
in 1880, Brandon was then nearly
seventy years old. When he was five
years older he married Sarah Barker
who was only sixteen. She was the
youngest of sixteen children. She
lived with him twenty-one years, bear.
ing him in the meantime fifteen child.
rem. Then she got divorce from him,
he being ninety-six. The separation
from his wife broke bis heart, and al
though at the time he was as agile,
strong and active as he was when he
was married he pined away and died
the same year the divorce was OBJ
tanned. He then had thirty three liv-
ing children.
His divorced widow had had the
care of all of them, and she raised all
that were young enough to need rails
ing. Brandon had been the father of
thirty FIVE children, but two died, one
q child of his first wife and the other
one of the eighteen his second wife had
borne him. The divorced widow
moved to Moundsville, w. Va, and
the most of the thirty-three children
went with her. Among them were
two Johns and two Charleses. One of
the Johns and one Of the Charleses
were the third wife's children. There
was james who was old enough to
go to the Mexican war, where he was
wounded in the neck. When the war
of the rebellion broke out the two
Charleses, Sim, Evans, Josephus, Hi
ram, James, Van Buren, Jacob, Abra-
ham, Alexander, David, Andrew and
Reese, of the sons enlisted in the Union
army, all in Ohio aud Virginia regi-
ments. The third Mrs. Brandon s
John and Charles were taken prisoners
at Chickamauga. They were both put
in Andersonville Prison. John died in
nine months Charles was there twenty
one months and escaped. Peter was
killed at Shiloh while his regiment,
the Seventy-second Ohio, was making
charge. All the other sons served
through the war and came homo.
The third wife of the remarkable old
Indian killer, and mother and step
mother of his remarkable family, still
lives at Moundsville. She is seventy
years old. Until three months ago she
was in destitute circumstances. Then
she got pension and $4,000 as her
claim against the Government. She
is six feet in height, as straight as an
arrow, as strong as man, and exceling
nine out of every ten men in powers of
endurance. Only a few days ago she
walked to St. Clairsville, twenty miles,
in five hours and back again in the
same time. She has only one eye.
The other one was shot out about
thirty years ago by one of the second
wife's boys. She had occasion to cor
rect him. He got his bow and arrow
and shot her, putting out her eye. This
remarkable woman knows the where
abouts of only nine of the thirty-three
children. They live near her.
"Bnt, takin' them, an their children
an their children's children, there
must be nigh to thousan' on 'em by
this time"